Muscle soreness: how much is too much?

Ever had a really tough workout (or perhaps just a “normal” workout after a long break) and had a serious case of muscle soreness? Do you thrive for that crazy, hurts-to-sit-on-anything “pain”? You may not be doing your body a favor. Gasp! Say it ain’t so. Aren’t extremely sore muscles an indicator of a good workout?

Not so fast

There is a “cause and effect” with exercise. If we do something, we like to see results. Mix cause and effect with instant gratification, and you have the expectancy of muscle soreness. Soreness, to some people, is the next best thing we have to gauge how effective our workout was — after all, no one grows big and strong after one lifting session. Ladies, you won’t get “big”. Just sayin’.

But should we aim to feel sore after every workout to see effects? No. Now, before I move on, let’s clarify — the type of soreness that I’m referring to today is EXTREME soreness. The type that makes it very difficult to perform daily activities. Minor, “oh, I worked that” soreness can generally occur more frequently without long-term negative effects.

Channel your inner Goldilocks

Although there is a lack of research, there is no scientific evidence that proves excess soreness leads to better results. According to the American Council on Exercise, however, there is abundant research on the positive effects of progressive challenges.

For normal, regular health and fitness, it’s about finding just the right amount of overload. Remember that the overload principle states that a greater than normal load on the body is required for adaptation to take place. Too great a load over a long period of time, though, can have detrimental effects.

ACE also outlines a concept termed “exercise dosage”. Basically, intensity and frequency of exercise can be compared to doses of medicine. If a doctor prescribes a particular type of medicine, how many times a day you’re supposed to take it, as well as the dosage of the medication, you follow directions. Taking extra doses does not necessarily yield more benefits. And we all know what happens when you overdose on drugs. Exercising to the point of extreme muscular soreness can be roughly compared to overdosing on medicine (although hopefully result in no deaths).

Negative possibilities

Now, I’m not saying you can NEVER be extremely sore. It may naturally occur when you are coming back to exercise after a break, or even if you change up your exercise routine. You can “enjoy” those moments! But try not to let them happen too often. Why?

It’s all about those activities of daily living (ADL’s): we exercise in order to make our lives better — to walk up and down the stairs better, or lift boxes without straining our backs. Are we really improving our ADL’s if we’re constantly sore, or when we avoid walking up and down the stairs because it feels like someone’s pinching our quads?

Overtraining/overuse injuries: unfortunately, these injuries creep up behind us until it’s too late. By the time we notice that we might have done a little too much, some (or a lot) of damage has been done.

Ouch, the tightness: think back to the last time you were sore. Were your muscles tight? Or ask yourself the million-dollar question: did you stretch? If tight muscles are coupled with a lack of stretching, range of motion is temporarily limited. Frequently tight muscles have the potential to change our movement patterns all-together.

Moral of the story

It can be darn challenging to figure out the Goldilocks-level of intensity that we should work at. And, it’s pretty much impossible to prevent occasional extreme muscular soreness. What we do need to be careful of, however, is working our hardest to achieve soreness every single time we exercise. Try channeling that effort into making a more progressive program, because long-term soreness is not the best indicator of better results.

If we take the time to make progressive changes, listen to our bodies, and tweak the program to best fit our needs, we’re more likely to: increase our fitness without injury, improve our ADL’s, and, in general, be more awesome.

42 comments

Susie @ SuzLyfe

September 9, 2015 at 6:58 am

I always say that one of the most important rating and self assessment techniques for us all to learn is the difference between discomfort and pain. Discomfort is one thing–it means that you are pushing your limits. Pain is VERY much another!Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Easier Health with Zarbees Natural Vitamin Drink Mix (Giveaway)

Great post! It has taken me some time to find the balance between satisfyingly sore and unbearable! For me, stretching and hydrating are key.Ayesha (PlumPetals) recently posted…The Whole Life Challenge — What is it?!

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 8:18 pm

YES to hydrating and fueling the body for recovery. Thanks for stopping by!

Ellyn @ In Fitness and In Health

September 9, 2015 at 10:11 am

I love love LOVE this post! I was just talking to a good friend the other day about this very topic. While I love DOMS most of the time, there are definitely signs of overdoing it. I remember my very first personal training session a few years back – we did the whole posterior chain + quads and oh my god, I kid you not, I literally couldn’t walk upright the next day. I had to wear heels for a week because my calves were so tight and sore from the workout, I couldn’t put my feet flat on the floor to walk properly. Needless to say I needed to (and still need to) get better about stretching post-workout. Great post! Thanks for sharing, Jess! 🙂Ellyn @ In Fitness and In Health recently posted…Warm Coconut-Peach Breakfast Freekeh (+ A GIVEAWAY!)

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 8:18 pm

Wow, that is a crazy post-workout-soreness story! Stretching and rolling after a workout is hard to remember but it will be good in the long run 😉

Pragati // Simple Medicine

September 9, 2015 at 10:48 am

This is a fantastic post! I agree with Suz (above) that we should know the difference between pain and discomfort. I’ve found that a little magnesium or epsom soak plus movement usually eases discomfort. It’s my way of breaking up the lactic acid 🙂Pragati // Simple Medicine recently posted…Spicy Sofritas Tofu

I’m usually only REALLLYYY sore when I work muscles that haven’t been worked OR if I decide to run half marathons under trained. Which I’ve done. It hurts. Haha.Brittany recently posted…100 Mile September

Great post Jess! I love the feeling of being sore after a good workout /run, but I’ve unfortunately learned when too much soreness is bad. I was over training and was really hurting my body. Definitely had to reevaluate my goals to find a balance.Daisy @ Fit Wanderlust Runner recently posted…Places to Run in San Diego: Pacific Beach

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 8:12 pm

Thanks, Daisy! Finding the balance can be hard, but it’s worth it!

Erin @ Erin’s Inside Job

September 9, 2015 at 6:37 pm

I used to kill myself in the gym just so I would get that extreme soreness. I loved it. Then I realized that it prohibited me from actually doing anything for a day or two so I’ve calmed it down. I do still love me some soreness though 🙂Erin @ Erin’s Inside Job recently posted…Rosemary Sage Freekeh Protein Salad + A Giveaway!

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 8:11 pm

Haha yes! Being sore feels good, but not if it’s debilitating for a day or two! I’m learning to be okay with workouts that don’t leave me all tight and sore.

If only we had personal stretch assistants to follow us around during our day-to-day activities….

Annmarie

September 10, 2015 at 8:17 am

The last time I was super sore was after my 18 mile race but usually it’s just some regular DOMS that I can handle without a problem and working out usually helps with it! 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up!Annmarie recently posted…RYKA Influence 2 Review + Giveaway!

Thanks for this post! I need to definitely show it to my boyfriend. It seems that for some people, if they do not feel terribly sore the next day they feel actually disappointed. As mentioned in the first comment by Sussie, discomfort and pain are two different things and you should not be feeling pain after each of your workout and moreover even looking forward to the pain.Simona recently posted…My top 10 tricks to get 10 000 steps every day

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 7:30 pm

Yes – I think it’s human nature to expect some sort of tangible result after a workout. I completely agree – we need to practice differentiating between pain and discomfort. Thanks for stopping by!

Lauren | Just a Pinch

September 13, 2015 at 10:13 am

I enjoyed this post, thank you! I’ve only had a few workouts recently when I could barely sit down and I was miserable (and clearly out of shape.) Now I don’t feel so guilty about not feeling that all the time 🙂Lauren | Just a Pinch recently posted…Why I decided to become a Registered Dietitian

hellotofit

September 13, 2015 at 7:22 pm

Glad you did 🙂 YES – you should never feel guilty for not being sore every time 🙂 XOXO